The Day of Bearers
by ChidoriStrega
Summary: A year after the downfall of Jegran, Althea declares the day a holiday to remember Layle who everyone thinks has vanished. Is he gone forever or is he out there trying to find his way back?


**Note: While this is based off of the game, it does not follow the game's ending. You can also thank my friend for this if you like this pairing, as I would have never fathomed putting these two together if it weren't for his persistence.**

The Day of Bearers

"…Jegran, the High Commander of the Lilty army of Alfitaria, had been defeated. The presumably mad Crystal Bearer had been vanquished by what had appeared to be a Clavat male riding on a large crystal shard." A news reporter spoke from the Crystalvision set in town with a clear, feminine voice. "A year ago today, that battle took place above the kingdom's capital with every eye on the sky. Now, we go live to the capital where Queen Althea sol Alfitaria will mark today as a national holiday."

There was a brief pause while the feeds adjusted, but within seconds, Althea could be seen standing before a crowd. She was dressed in the clothes of the late Queen; A beautiful white dress. Its embroidered bodice hugged her upper body, the sleeves gently draped over her arms like curtains. The skirts of her dress resembled the pedals of the flower she was named after. The rich, deep red formed an exquisite gradient of color down each pedal until it faded to a crisp white. Althea's beauty surpassed that of any queen before her. As she stood behind a podium, she looked over the crowd that seemed eager for her to speak.

"Greetings. Today…we remember a great day. The day where the four Crystal Principles were balances once more. The day that the Yuke tribe came back into this world. And the day that a great man gave his life to see Yukes revived. To go through great ends to see that the Yuke forgave we Lilty for past grievances and protected our crystal. To save us _all_ from the deranged beliefs of a mad man. Because it is not just about _one_ tribe. It is about us all. And this man, Layle, a Crystal Bearer showed us that. Let us remember him and his Yuke friend, Amidatelion who both fought for what was right." A smile formed on her face. "Celebrate our victory. Our harmony. Our unity. On this day. The Day of Bearers!"

As soon as the last word came from her lips the crowd burst into cheer.

"Let us enjoy the festivities and give thanks!" The Queen then gestured to her side where two large Lilty guards unveiled a statue of Layle and Amidatelion. Shortly after there was music and confetti pouring over the streets.

When evening fell, there was yet another ball of Tribal Unity. But this time, the tribes were truly unified. Even if the Yukes did not quite master the art of dance right away. Althea sat at the head of the room, watching the people talk and dance. Part of her, no, every bit of her hoped that Layle would appear before her as he did a year ago. But there was little hope in that.

She felt like she had sent the world out to look for him. There were even a few times where she would disappear for a week at a time to leave the castle and search for herself. Since then, she realized that she could not simply leave her duties to search for him. Especially without alerting anyone.

"Wine, my Queen?" asked a familiar voice.

She shook her head automatically. Looking up, Althea saw that it was Keiss, who in her opinion looked rather smart in a suit. "Oh. Keiss. I am glad you could make it. I did not think you would come."

"But of course." He gave her a flourished bow with his Selkie grin plastered on his face.

Neither of them could ask each other what they were both thinking. 'Have you heard anything about him?'

No one knew what had happened to Layle. Even with so many eyes watching the battle, no one knew. The sky was red and lit up and in the end, it was reported that two bodies were plummeting towards the ground right where the Yukes were casting their counter spell on the Lilty crystal. Then there was a bright blue light that vanished just as quickly as it appeared. It seemed that the two bodies disappeared with it. The bodies were never found. But after a year of searching, it was about time to face the truth. Layle wasn't coming back.

"Queen Althea?" Keiss tilted his head to the side.

"Oh. Sorry…I seem to be very distracted tonight."

Keiss, being very good at putting two and two together, did just that. "Oh yeah. He crashed your party last time didn't he?"

"…on second thought, I think I will have a bit of wine, thank you, Keiss." The small Queen took the glass from his hand and sipped at it. Even with the way she was feeling, she was no good with the drink.

"Listen… I know it's hard. He was my best friend and I- we _all_ cared about Layle. And even with time, you shouldn't give up on him. You know how he is. He's out there somewhere."

"No one could survive a fall like that. And with Jegran on him he probably couldn't- …couldn't-"she heaved a great sigh.

The Selkie male tried to keep her spirits up. "But, no one has ever found traces of remains. That means he could still be alive, right?"

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you. I have sent men all over to look for him. I have listen to every false lead. I have seen every impersonator. It is time that we accept the truth, Keiss. Layle is-"

"Out there. I know." He gave a wink and waved her off, returning to the party.

Althea only spent a few more minutes lingering with the guests before she headed out to the balcony. Memories of him flooded her mind_. 'Now that's pretty. Perfect for an evening like this.' _How right he had been. The light of the Lilty crystal shinning down, washing over the balcony was beautiful. She loved that he had thought the same thing she did the first time she saw the crystal at night.

Althea placed her glass down on the thick railing and looked over the edge as if she would see Layle falling backwards, promising her that everything would work out.

"You promised everything would be okay. So where are you?" the Queen looked up at her tribe's crystal with sadness in her eyes. "I'm not okay, Layle. You weren't supposed to disappear…"

The night went on seemingly forever until the Lilty queen was called on to bring the ball to a close. Once everything was quiet and everyone was tucked away into their rooms to sleep off the events of the holiday, Althea found herself on the terrace of her vast chambers. She couldn't sleep and so she looked out at the blue glow again. For hours she looked, just thinking.

Right as she turned to enter her room once more, Althea could have sworn the glow had gotten bright. But when she looked back, it was the same light as always.

"It's late. I am imagining things…" once again, she went to enter her room but was stopped by something she had not expected.

"That's funny; I wouldn't have pegged you for a _négligée ____type."_

___Althea spun around on her heel in surprise, ready to shout for the guards. Instead, the next word out of her mouth shocked her even more than the voice did. "__Layle!"_

___It was an absolute miracle. Or the closet to one Althea had ever seen. Either it was and Layle was alive or she had gone mad with grief. It was likely the first time in the young Queen's life that her words were intelligible. She fumbled over each sentence she tried to get out, no matter how simple they were. She felt too many feelings surge inside. It seemed Layle was waiting patiently for her to gather herself, though his patience gave him a bit too much time to look around. He'd been glancing occasionally at the woman's attire and thought it might do her good to close up her night robe._

___Finally, she was able to ask her question coherently. "What…how are you still alive?"_

___He had known the question before hand, but some part of him enjoyed watching her struggle with words for once. "I lost control of my powers. They kinda went haywire and when I was falling, I guess my magic and the Yuke's combined. The effect, well, looks like it sent me to that little space between Oblivion and Reality."_

___Althea covered her lips with her fingers. "That sounds awful…"_

_"__It's not as bad as it seems. The Yukes have done some pretty nice touch ups to what is pretty much physical 'nothingness'." He shrugged this off, though Althea seemed to think that it was a far bigger deal. She was right. But that was just how Layle was._

_"__And…Jegran?"_

_"__Dead. He was crushed by my powers when I was overflowing with energy. By the time we landed in Oblivion, he was so flat he was unrecognizable."_

_"__I see…" though he was clearly evil and had murdered her father, Althea still felt pity for him. If only because being crushed to death sounded like a dreadful way to go. However, she was snapped out of the thought when Layle spoke again._

_"__That was pretty rude of you, Althea. Not inviting me to my own party." Layle could see the questions forming on the young woman's face. "They have these pools that allow you to focus on a thought and see it. I've been watching you." And before he could let that thought sink in, he added, "Looks like you're not such a bad Queen after all."_

_"__Layle____!"_

___He had been dying to hear her scold him like that again. "Only joking, your highness."_

___Althea pressed her fingers into her forehead, heaving an exasperated sigh. "You've been gone for __so____ long. How in the world did you even get back?"_

___Layle paused for thought. It was a really good question, but it was tough to correctly answer. "Been that long, huh?"_

_"__It's been a year, Layle."_

___He gave a long whistle. "A year…wow. I guess when you exist outside of time; you don't really notice how much its passing for others. Let's see, my great escape. Technically, I had all the time in the world. So I kinda perfected my powers. Usually, I needed Amidatelion to create a portal for me to jump through using my powers. But, now, looks like I can do it without her. I channeled the energy left behind by the Yukes and focused on the pool. I think I created a wormhole. Or a bridge. Not really too sure. I do know that I ended up right outside by that crystal."_

_"__Your crystal…"_

_"__I noticed yours is gone. I guess since I was not physically in the real world, my crystal couldn't be absorbed. Not that you'll hear me complaining."_

___Althea was still coming to terms with Layle still being alive. It was amazing. She gazed out the window as if she would see this Oblivion he was talking about. Layle's eyes, however, were wandering over the Queen's sheer night gown. He wasn't sure if it was completely see-through or if it just gave that illusion. All he knew was that the rose pattern lace across the breast __barely____ covered the 'interesting' bits. Layle swore he could see the outline of her underwear. It was that thought that made him realize she was too trusting of him. No matter how much of a good guy he was, he was still a man and a barely clothed woman was a temptation. When was the last time he had been with a woman? No, no. These were bad thoughts. The bearer averted his eyes and looked out the window as well, just as Althea spoke up again._

_"__What was it like out there?"_

___He was glad for the distraction. "Honestly?" he shrugged. "It was the most boring experience I've ever been through. I wouldn't recommend any vacations there."_

___Althea sat at the edge of her bed and crossed her legs as she thought it over. "I didn't know what to do Layle. You just…disappeared. No body. No trace… I didn't know what to think. We thought you were dead."_

_"__I'm sorry." He truly was. And for once, his tone faltered to convey an actual emotion._

_"__So many things were left unsaid. Undone…" she looked him directly in the eyes._

___The feeling that stirred inside the last Crystal Bearer was hardly pure. "We've got plenty of time for catching up-"_

_"__I never got to thank you, Layle."_

___Somehow he got the impression she was not simply talking about verbally showing gratitude. He'd had fleeting meetings with the Queen a year ago, where he would tease her, but he didn't think any of his 'moves' actually landed. It was obvious he cared for her to some extent; he'd leaped over the side of a ship to save her. Even with gravity on his side it was a risk. And she certainly wasn't unattractive. Althea was the most beautiful Lility he'd ever seen. But this temptation was not something he should act on. She was the Queen of Alfitaria. "You should close up that robe. Chilly." It wasn't exactly smooth, but it was the only thing he could say to try to steer the conversation away from its current position._

_"__I'm afraid you'll vanish again. An entire year you were gone. You were in my head for a year."_

_"__I'm not going anywhere. Why don't we just think abo-"_

_"__I want to show you my thanks. For everything. And I want to show you what I have been keeping inside for so long…" she shifted her shoulders, letting the robe fall, baring more of her skin._

_"__Althea…"_

_"__Let me do this, Layle. I am a Queen. Please understand that I would not offer this to anyone but the man I marry on our wedding night, and I choose to offer it to you." Althea paused. "Do I not…am I not enough?"_

___Layle responded by shaking his head, telling her that the very idea that she wasn't enough for anyone was insane. "It's not that you aren't, Althea, believe me. It's just-"What? Dangerous? Frowned upon? Scandalous? And like that, a switch flipped in Layle's head. "Sound tends to carry in rooms like these, don't they?"_

_He wanted her._

_"__No one will disturb me unless I scream."_

___Layle couldn't help but smirk as he approached the bedside, stripping his jacket and shirt thinking that he planned to make her do exactly that. The bearer moved Althea to the middle of her large bed and rid her of her gown. Not another move was made before Layle had a full gander at her naked flesh. He took his time getting firmly acquainted with every curve of the Queen's body. He treated her as if she were a goddess, taking her sweetly and gently. That was, until she became accustomed to his body being one with her own. The beautiful sounds of her eager, soft, moans drove Layle to be a bit rough, nearly animalistic. It __had____ been some time since he'd felt a woman's touch. He would not stop until the entire castle knew of their actions. Pressed tightly together, the two climaxed._

___As if on cue, before Layle could hold the panting Queen in his arms there was the sound of guards shouting at the door. "Your Highness, are you okay? Your highness!"_

_"__I told you sound carries with all this marble and tile." Layle got out of bed and rushed back into his pants and jacket. Althea tossed him his shirt after wrapping herself in her bed sheet._

_"__Quickly, they'll want to come inside any second."_

___There was pounding at the door. The two headed out towards the terrace, bathing in the crystal's light once more. Althea pulled Layle down into a kiss. "Don't make yourself a stranger, Layle. I want to see you again."_

_"__I can guarantee you will."_

_"__They are going to increase security against my will after this. You know that, don't you?"_

_"__A guy 'breaks in' to the Queen's chambers in the middle of the night? I'd say so. Don't worry; I'll make it back here plenty."_

___The door to her room burst open and a handful of guards piled inside._

___Althea turned her head to see them and then back to Layle. They had all but five seconds. "Guards will be patrolling everywhere, what makes you think you can get back?"_

_"__I'm a Bearer."_

___And just like he did on the night of the ball, Layle fell back from the balcony, disappearing from sight. Althea smiled, watching him fall, knowing that he would be back._

_"__My Queen, are you alright? Are you hurt?" the group of guards stood just a few feet from her._

_"__I'm fine. Thank you."_

___They asked so many questions, but Althea heard none of them. She was just thinking of Layle and the next time they would meet again. And the crystal. She thanked the Crystal's Will for returning him to her on the Day of Bearers._


End file.
